PhD position at the project “Women experts and feminist knowledge production in post-war East Central Europe (1945-1989)”
The Anthropos Doctoral School, Polish Academy of Sciences and Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
We invite applications for one PhD position within the Project “Women experts and feminist knowledge production in post-war East Central Europe (1945-1989),” directed by Dr. Hab. Natalia Jarska (Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences), and supported by a grant from the National Science Centre under the OPUS LAP scheme/WEAVE initiative, in collaboration with the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences (team led by Dr. Annina Gagyiova).
Description of the project: Does knowledge production contribute to the development of gender equality activism? What knowledge about women’s problems in labor, housework, and health was created by women experts in post-war Central and Eastern Europe? How did their research uncover existing gender inequalities and stereotypes about women’s roles? Which solutions did female experts propose to improve the situation of women in society? Did the knowledge they created prompt them to participate in the public debate on women’s issues? How did the knowledge circulate among female experts from different countries? Who were the women who devoted their research careers to women’s issues? Under the conditions of the communist state, which restricted the possibility of association, did networks of women experts play a role in feminist activism?
In an international team, we seek answers to these questions by conducting historical research on the biographies and expertise of selected female experts in three communist countries of East Central Europe: Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary. We are interested in those female experts whose research raised issues related to women’s work and health. Our research will focus on medicine, sociology, psychology, and law. It explores three threads: 1. Expert discourses about women. 2. Women experts’ biographies and international and transnational contacts between female experts. 3. Knowledge dissemination and activism. As a result, the project will contribute significantly to the knowledge of women’s roles in science in post-war East Central Europe. The project will result in scientific articles and an online dictionary of female experts containing entries in English and national languages. An international team of experts on the 20th-century social and cultural history of Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary will conduct the research.
Scope of work:
- preparing a doctoral dissertation related to the project topic on women experts in one of the studied countries (Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary) within 4 years as part of the training program at the Anthropos Doctoral School
- participating in research team meetings online and in person (in Prague and Warsaw)
- conducting archival research in the country of study and in international archives
- participating in international conferences
- preparing at least one scientific article and submitting it to an international journal
- supporting the project manager in organizational matters (such as maintaining the project’s social media page)
Eligibility criteria:
- candidates must hold an MA degree in humanities or social sciences
- good knowledge of the post-war social history of the selected country (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, or Poland)
- interest in women’s and gender history
- experience in working with published and archival sources of the second half of the 20th century
- very good knowledge of Polish, Czech, Slovak, or Hungarian (depending on the chosen research area) and excellent command of spoken and written English
- willingness to acquire new skills and work in a team
- motivation to prepare your research project and develop an international academic career
We offer:
- work in an international research team
- financing of trips to archives and academic conferences
- access to necessary literature
- PhD supervision and support in the development of academic skills
- support in the development of an academic career
- a possibility to do part of the work remotely and an individualized PhD program
Applications should contain:
- Attached recruitment form
- A letter of motivation
- In separate files:
- ID-sized photograph of the candidate
- copy of a master’s thesis or its equivalent (in PDF format)
- for non-EU applicants: certified diploma or certified translation, or a recognition statement provided by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA)
- confirmation of transfer of enrolment fee. The enrolment fee is PLN 150. Candidates should make payment to the account number of the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences: 04 1130 1017 0020 1463 2420 0002 (Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, SWIFT code: GOSKPLPW), and in the title of the payment write “Anthropos admissions” as well as your first and last name
Documents* should be sent electronically by October 31, 2024 to:
- szkola.anthropos@ihpan.edu.pl (subject: PhD student OPUS LAP IH PAN)
- njarska@ihpan.edu.pl (subject: PhD student OPUS LAP IH PAN)
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered for the selection process. The submission of documents should be understood as their receipt by the entities indicated in the announcement.
Candidates who successfully pass the evaluation of the submitted documentation will be admitted for an interview. The interviews will be held in English via Zoom.
Starting date: January 3, 2025. The contract is for a maximum of 48 months. Monthly stipend is 4276.07 PLN gross for the first two years before the mid-term evaluation and 5340.90 PLN gross after this evaluation (gross amounts from which Social Security contributions of the PhD student are deducted). Inquiries can be addressed to szkola.anthropos@ihpan.edu.pl and njarska@ihpan.edu.pl
* A candidate’s personal data are processed by the Institute of History at the Polish Academy of Sciences (Rynek Starego Miasta 31, 00-272 Warsaw) for the purposes of this application. Data is shared voluntarily, but these data are necessary for the application process. Data will be processed during the necessary period for carrying out a selection process, including archiving. Data can be shared with authorized entities, and administrative and organizational services, on the basis of applicable laws.
The person to whom the data belong, maintains the right to access their own personal data, as well as the right to correct that data, delete them or limit their processing. In addition, your personal data can be transferred at your request or you can file a complaint about its processing with the Office of Personal Data Protection. For all matters concerning the processing of personal data, please contact the Inspector of Data Protection of the IH PAN: iodo@ihpan.edu.pl. Detailed information is available on our website: https://ihpan.edu.pl/en/about-us/personal-data-protection/
Files to download:
